C MY K C MY K

SUNDAY

<3 2 COOK
LOVE IN THE KITCHEN, LAUGHTER AT THE TABLE
DECCAN CHRONICLE ■ 17 OCTOBER
VII2010 ■■

Saucery
SAUCY ■ ■ GENESIA ALVES
SECRETS

A
s a child, I always
found the sauce
boat a thing of
beauty. Sitting
there, more stream-
lined than a milk jug, more gra-
cious than a bowl, usually filled
with something glistening and
delicious to be judiciously
poured over your plate — not
too much, not too little —
adding moisture, flavour and
luxury to an already fes-
tive meal. Sauces are
usually easy to
make, forgiving
MCT

of your mis-
takes and
THE PERFECT eager to par-
GRAVY ticipate in
your experi-
mentation.
Last year, the Royal Society of They can be
Chemistry set in stone the used as cook-
‘perfect gravy’. It features ing mediums,
‘juices from a joint (preferably basting or dip-
beef) cooked on a bed of ping sauces,
onions, carrots and celery and marinades... South-
leftover water from boiled cab- East Asian inspired
bage’ with the new-age addi- sauces are proper fun.
tion of a splash of, surprise They enliven, bolster and in
surprise, soy sauce! these hurry-hurry-days with
prepped vegetables, de-boned
chicken breasts, fillets of fish in
the freezer — are a way to con-
jure up a seemingly elaborate,
fresh dinner with minimum
effort.

You can start a conversation

with the author about food at
http://loveinthekitchenlaughter-
atthetable. blogspot.com
PEANUT
SAUCE
SATAY
BULGOGI INGREDIENTS:

T
he first 1 tbsp veg oil
Korean bar- time 1 minced shal-
A beque sauce for
strips of smoky
beef, this is not only
we ate
satay
(sate?) en famille
lot
1-4 chillies
1 garlic clove
an excellent addition was on a binge-eat- 1 cup water
to a table of grilled ing trip to Singapore ½ cup peanut
meat or fish or veg- (as if there were any butter
etables but I’ve used other kind of trip to 2 tsp sugar
it once as a dressing Singapore) in the 80s ½ tsp fresh
for a brown rice, bok- when Sentosa was lemongrass
choi, shiitake mush- more equatorial jun- spritz of lime
room, tofu and chick- gle than theme
MCT

en warm salad and it park and the ubiq- Method:

was a most satisfying uitous mall food
PREPARING A meal. court was not Toast the
only resource to coconut gen-
GOOD SAUCE INGREDIENTS: safe street food tly on a warm
Because you are trying to opti- like today. Using pan and as it
mise an amalgam of flavours, 1 garlic clove the old traveller starts to colour,
heat is a very important factor 1 tsp grated fresh gin- tricks to suss out the watch it very
in the preparation of a cooked ger best restaurant in a carefully. Using a
sauce. Used to help release and 1 tbsp finely minced strange land (How crowd- spatula, gently turn
then meld different aromas, too onion ed? Ratio of locals to over the toasted coconut
little heat will leave you with a ½ tbsp chilli paste tourists? How quickly is to get an even, reddish
bland, flavourless mass and too 1 tbsp sugar the food being served? Is brown tan. Your nose

A
much may singe some delicate dip that uses chick- 1 tsp sesame oil anyone retching at the will tell you before your
COCONUT DIP WITH CHICKEN

notes. Until you’re confident, en to thicken! Great 1 tsp roasted sesame table? How many insect- eyes that your coconut is
follow recipes religiously. as a starter with seeds o-cutors are there?) our toasted to perfection.
fresh, crisp crudités, you 1 tbsp rice wine parents zeroed in on a Remove from heat. Now
must be prepared for peo- ¼ cup soy sauce vendor who was doing sauté the onion and garlic
ple to take to it with a tea- brisk business. till soft, stir in the rest of
spoon. METHOD: Herding us four kids the ingredients and mari-
to rickety plastic fur- nate the chicken for about
INGREDIENTS: Clean the garlic and niture, under tube two hours.
2.25 cups coconut milk in a pestle, crush the lights, surrounded by
3 tbsp finely chopped ginger, garlic and noisy locals, we were brought NOTE: If using vegeta-
onions sugar together. Then skewers of tender meat and this bles, you can skip the marinade
2 tbsp peanut butter combine the ingredi- delicious peanut-buttery sauce. process and dust the veggies
1 tsp garlic paste ents in the masala Years later, when the siblings with coriander powder, garlic
Ground red chillies to grinder attachment of recreated this at home it was a powder, chilli powder and
taste your food processor. Majula Singapura moment! sprinkle a teaspoon of coconut
1 tsp sugar Adjust the chilli to milk powder over before sear-
1 cup cooked chicken taste. Put it in a jar THE MARINADE ing on a hot griddle.
breast stir in the peanut butter, in a food processor or and let it rest for a
½ tsp salt garlic, ground red chillies, with your trusty hand few hours. Then keep INGREDIENTS: For the sauce:
2 tbsp chopped cilantro / sugar and onion. When the blender. When smooth, in the fridge. The Soften onion, chillies, garlic
coriander leaves onion goes soft, lower the start adding the reserved flavours will peak in a ½cup toasted dessicated and curry powder in oil, whisk
heat, add the chicken and liquid until you get the couple of days and coconut in water, peanut butter, lemon-
METHOD: simmer for another 5 min- consistency you desire. you will be able to 3 tbsp veg oil grass... bring to a boil. reduce
Put the coconut milk on utes. Turn the heat off. You may want to add salt use the sauce for up 3 spring onions minced heat and simmer till thickened.
the boil and when it is Strain the solids, reserving or a splash of soy sauce to to two weeks. 2 garlic cloves Add lime to finish. This sauce
bubbling gently, briskly the liquid. Puree the solids taste. 2 tbsp chunky peanut butter can be refrigerated and kept for
1 tsp coriander powder a week and is great with rice,
½ tsp chilli powder seared veggies, tofu and of
Chicken breast cut into strips course, meats.

T
his is a recipe litchi flesh
from the Dean 1.5 tbsp fresh tamarind
and DeLuca 2 tbsp coconut milk pow-
recipe book that actually fea- der mixed with water
tures an Indonesian fruit called 2 tbsp finely minced onions
the cherimoya, the pleasure of 1 tbsp finely shredded basil
whose acquaintance I have not
had as yet. But Google is confi- METHOD:
dent that the che-
rimoya can be De-seed and scrape out the flesh of
LITCHI substituted with
canned litchis.
the tamarind and then mince it till
very, very fine. Chop the litchis into
SAMBAL While
LoveLunch
medium pieces and reserve the
sweet liquid for another recipe,
makes a similar another day. (Or pour it into ice-
sambal with mango, the tamarind cube tray for a fun addition to
in this recipe gives the whole your daily H2O requirement this
sauce a fabulous kick. You can October.) Now combine all the
just add this to enliven plain ingredients and serve.
rice and a fish curry or use it Add a teaspoon of chilli oil or
as a dip for prawn crackers some fresh red chilli if you
at your South East Asia like and you can use some
themed party. lemon juice if you want
the sourness to have
INGREDIENTS: more bite.
3/4 cup
Words and recipes: Gynelle Alves; Photos: Genesia Alves